reading red tower: assistant to the villain could've stayed a 60 second skit

my new literary nemesis, red tower.
hannah nicole maehrer's tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@hannahnicolem...
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Goodreads: / 123257687
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fourth wing review: • reading red tower: fou...
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snarksquad.com

[@juniawetmann1311]

"The glory days of YA but make it spicy and aged up" As someone that has read both fourth wing and hunger games, HG is *WAY* more mature than FW. I went into FW completely blind (and when I say completely blind I somehow was able to miss the comotion around it, only saw the cover with dragons and thought "neat, fantasy with dragons, sounds cool") and the narration and characters were so juvenile and immature I fully believed it was a YA book until the first sex scene hit me like a sack of bricks.

[@mynameismarines]

Yes!! I was arguing with someone about this in my tiktok comments recently because they treat YA as a tone. HG is brutal while being age appropriate in its language and approach. Fourth Wing was frolicking through senseless death that made no sense just so it could get to the cheesiest sex. Like… these people walked away from the dystopian era of YA thinking “but what if all those teens were having sex?” And… I hate that.

[@juniawetmann1311]

​@@mynameismarines Yes, that's a really good way to describe this dissonance. The whole book treats the war and the war college with such dismissal and brushing off really heavy stuff while Violet focuses completely on drooling over Xaden, but at the same time we're supposed to see this as mature and heavy it's just baffling

[@zcapari]

some of the tiktoks were funny, mostly when they were focusing on the villain doing evil things, not on just being attracted to him IMO. Also guys, being evil and hot does not make you "morally grey", you're still morally evil lmao

[@quirkyblackenby]

Yeah I was really trying to figure out how she was morally gray while being okay with torture

[@smilingstingray5537]

"hot does not make you "morally grey", you're still morally evil" holy shit I did not even pick up on this, but the second I read this, a bunch of characters who have been dubbed 'morally grey' by their fandoms just because they're hot, ran through my mind. I never realized this trend, but you are SO right. It's kind of disgusting when you think of the ugly characters who are considered 'irredeemable' just because they're not as visually appealing.

[@intergalactic-loser]

the craziest thing to me is that Korean manhwas and webnovels have already done this 100 times over and from the sounds of it 100 times better

[@whiteraven562]

Villainess storylines are also a thing in Japanese lightnovels

[@minerva9]

Chinese and Japanese novels as well

[@escorpea]

As someone who is new to manwhas give me some recs pls? 🥺

[@StellaStars631]

So knowing they were “ YA but spice “ clears up for me why the characters sound so young. Now…the ceo editing… that’s a choice….

[@mynameismarines]

Yes the “YA but juuuust old enough so grown adults can watch them have sex” thing is huge part of what Red Tower is my nemesis.

[@StellaStars631]

@@mynameismarines ah, you articulated why red tower just gives me a gross feeling. I may join you and making them a nemesis lol

[@Evelyn_Okay]

​​@@mynameismarines YEEEESS now that I'm an adult, I think it's soooo weird when adults read YA and get so invested in literal teenagers hooking up. It started with "Twilight Moms," which led to the 50 Shades era

[@arp711]

The very idea that someone watched those inane, obnoxious, and very not funny TikToks and was like THIS NEEDS TO BE A BOOK makes me wish the printing press had never been invented.

[@dangerkayutak2032]

Yikes. Not funny.

[@arp711]

@@mirimariana Um, of course they are? That's the whole point.

[@vectorshingetsu5560]

God, the Tiktoks got increasingly less interesting as they made more! And weirdly thirsty for the fictional villain. Even 60 seconds was too much.

[@jasminv8653]

It's been a series of tumblr posts like five years ago probably already

[@mirimariana]

@arp711 Oh sorry, though u were saying they were two different people

[@GhostBirds]

8:40 i havent read the book but these descriptions + the tiktoks are also giving me that marvel/superhero movie "....He's right behind me, isn't he?" style of humor. In small doses I don't mind it but with long-term exposure I would struggle a bit. I see the appeal though, the idea came from a good-intended place i think! maybe it mightve worked as a silly sitcom novella instead of the tone mix. or, one of those short episodic comics/webseries

[@mynameismarines]

I'm sure you would not be surprised to hear that there was a "he's right behind me" moment in this book.

[@GhostBirds]

wait really?? oh noooo 😂

[@Sootielove]

I was curious to read this book because personally I love hammy villain romances but that's usually in a "I will take over the world and give you Austrailia as a present" sort of self-awareness about villainy. I feel like the book would have worked better in that sort of lens because you don't actually need to make the villain morally grey to be compelling or romanceable but when you try to have it both ways you end up getting "I wished my father loved me as much as I love kicking puppies" energy

[@Imhrien]

I mean, the way their site describes each book is literally "successful series meets other successful series, but searingly hot!" really solidifies the feeling that the Red Tower project is to sell as many half-baked vibes as possible instead of actually crafting stories. And while I can appreciate that people are having a good time eating up stories where you can turn your brain off, it really does echo Hallmark in the way that the same stories over and over have subtle normalization of shady ideas and then reinforcing them through repetition. Japanese and Korean Light novels, webtoons, and manga are going through an absolute glut of "villainess" types of stories, and even the silliest ones have decent deconstructions and commentaries of villainy and our attraction to villains. To anyone really disappointed by this novel, I highly recommend these as starters: (slapstick) I'm the villainess so I'm taming the final boss (peak drama & angst) Villains are destined to die

[@exomake_mehorololo]

Which shady ideas does Hallmark reinforce?

[@KATtube03]

@exomake_mehorololo idk if ops gonna respond, but for me personally I really dislike their use of traditional values as being the height of true love, even in their queer/gay love stories. I don't think that's specifically the inherit problem because at the end of the day that isn't for me and I'll acknowledge that, but when it's repeated so much and hallmark has had issues when it comes to diversity and promoting things outside the norm it doesn't really put them on the side of good faith, and any attempts to diverse doesn't feel genuine. It feels like an afterthought and just something to shove into their already pre existing plot outlines

[@Imhrien]

@@exomake_mehorololo as someone who actually enjoys watching them, I have to just note and sigh that a lot of its movies are very aggressively heterosexual, aggressively imply that a woman needs a partner (and eventually kids) to be fulfilled and truly happy, that career driven women are morally problematic and just undesirable. They are also overwhelmingly white and have some movies with pretty gross tokenization. So yeah, I can enjoy the cutesy feel good cheese of a holiday romance, but still recognize that its showing me that only straight rich white people get to find love in their beautiful countryside small town that was settled by their colonial ancestors. Some of their movies have much stronger religious undertones than others as well. The network came under new management recently that announced they were going to address some of this very unbalanced storytelling, and then a competitor channel came out that caters to the much more conservative crowed, and some of the actors jumped ship to this new competitor. That its called the "Great American Family" channel tells you all you need to know about who's making these stories and what they're for. people.com/tv/great-american-family-channel-what-to-know/

[@Imhrien]

@@KATtube03 you hit all the main points and more succinctly than I could 👏

[@MaryaHach]

Let me add a title to the list: I'm in love with the villainess, for a sapphic comedy. It started as a light novel, and it's getting an anime adaptation this season

[@robgst100]

Those skits made me want to claw my eyes out.

[@mynameismarines]

I know they have a big fan base on TT, but I truly fail to find a single thing about them funny.

[@juniawetmann1311]

Yes, when marines described it I thought "could be a cool idea" and regretted thinking it before the first one ended

[@BookChats]

​@@mynameismarinesI thought maybe one joke in episode one was funny but as soon as the... "Joke"? Became that the character was attracted to violence it was not funny.

[@devlyn873]

Those were painful to watch 😶

[@alzaronwayne5255]

​@mynameismarines to be fair...after having just read the audiobook recently....the 3 skits you showed are better than the book.....and the skits themselves are still terrible 😬😬

[@887frodo]

That Tik Tok compilation has big “I had to sit through this so now you will too” feels to it. And although I understand it, I can’t condone the cringe lmao

[@mynameismarines]

I literally downloaded 8 examples and only included three so I would call that restraint. But you are 100% correct that I wanted you all to see what I saw.

[@kimilynP]

the CEO is editing their books?? that's...what is that?? Does that mean they couldn't hire editors before publication or they just didn't want to? I'm guessing the latter. I'll give them this, Red tower definitely seems to know their audience. The "tropes and vibes" girlies are obsessed. I'm just not convinced they'll have any longevity. Especially if they're trying to turn these books into series. People will shrug through one bad book if they're having fun, but sticking around through two or more is a harder ask.

[@mynameismarines]

They have an editorial team, of some sort, according to their website, but Yarros and Maehrer both thank the CEO as their editor... Yarros specifically talks about spending 21 days editing with the CEO. So. Lol.

[@kimilynP]

@@mynameismarines...wtf? 😳 so either the CEO *is* the editing team or is part of the editing team. Either way, not a good look. Their entire strategy lies not in actually having quality books, but in having slapdash books with high grade marketing. I have even less confidence in their longevity. I'll be curious to see if they're still around in 10 years...

[@exomake_mehorololo]

Is the CEO a hot villain?

[@h3llthing]

@@mynameismarinesOnly 21 days??? That’s WILD

[@nootnewt9323]

@@kimilynPthat’s most of the industry to be fair. The industry doesn’t care about “quality” it cares about making money. Thats why not only are these books not well written, they’re often poorly edited too. And this book was wildly successful. They need “blockbusters” that will pull in a lot of money, it doesn’t matter if they’re good books. These days they’re trying to appeal to tiktok readers who want YA-esque romances. That’s just the reality of it for better or for worse.

[@miapopova2315]

I feel like making this idea into a comic book with short self contained chapters would have been a lot better. I haven't read the book or watched the shorts but from what I saw here the author's skillset and experience don't seem to be in long-form media.

[@sourcandyspite]

yes like the Househusband series that's on Netflix (can't remember the manga name), just little vignettes that maybe have connecting characters or events but are more similar to the "skit" vibe

[@heysara910]

Like…Nimona?

[@spukhaus5669]

I died at “a LeCroix of a plot” 💀

[@sao-me1lt]

same i will be using lacroix as a descriptor from now on

[@leahharlann]

The CEO of Red Tower being the "editor" for both books is why publishing needs more unions 🙃

[@mariam19554]

The red tower thing feels like the result of the capitalism and tiktok overtaking the book publishing industry. The books have to be sold in an elevator pitch using tiktok buzzwords and the readers buy and own as many editions as possible. It’s quick turnover times and first draft publishing, with the sequels being pumped out so quickly to maintain the viral moment. It’s honestly very tragic.

[@elskabee]

The way a book like this could have been a Chuck Tingle style satire but instead it's.... well.

[@vvitch-mist20]

Chuck Tingle writes insane stories but he has actual talent behind him. There is a method to his madness.

[@elskabee]

@@vvitch-mist20 exactly! whereas Assistant to the Villain just shows the author's inexperience in writing

[@vvitch-mist20]

@@elskabee It really just needed a little more polish, but Idk if the editor has actual editing skills. Fourth Wing shouldn't have been published period with the state that it was in, and THAT was edited.

[@elskabee]

@@vvitch-mist20 yep, I've read plenty of books with some interesting or at least fun ideas that have been severely let down by poor editing and publishers going ahead with a book that isn't ready. It seems like Red Tower cares more about hype than anything else which is a real disservice to the authors and the readers

[@vvitch-mist20]

@@elskabee I was gonna try to send in some of my work, but with everything I'm finding out and their questionable queer section. By questionable I mean there are 43 books but nothing on the actual page.

[@Caroline-wb2kl]

That third “why?!” about the main character’s feelings towards the woc in her workplace 😭 too real. How many times have I read a book on my yt friend’s recommendation and then midway thru been like “haha now why does this MC hate this new character… oh they’re not white yay! …oh. Oh! Oh???? No…………..” 😅😅😅

[@aneweliseonlife]

How many special editions do you think this one will get? 😂

[@mynameismarines]

Probably none because they'll be busy making Fourth Wing version #47

[@YW2324]

Lol 😆

[@gilliancarr1480]

I miss the person I was before I watched those Tiktoks. You are by far my favorite reviewer. You never miss! Your 4th Wing hate makes me giggle every time because they really swindled us all with that one.

[@natasharedmane]

I saw the comments about the skits and the curse that I call curiosity couldn’t help it and I went to check them out. Now I'm sitting here, freshly after opening the Dead Dove Bag in the fridge, thinking "I dont know what I expected" sigh edit: i commented before watching the video because I didnt think you'd add examples and now i reached the point of the video with examples and my skin wants to leave my body :') lmaoo

[@AwsomenessRain]

I misheard one of the skits as “your love interest” instead of “her love interest”, and I think that a story about the assistant to a gay villain in one of those dramatic love-hate relationships with the hero would be a lot more interesting than the bog standard secretary/boss office romances. Like, all the potential humour gets drained away the moment it becomes about how much the assistant wants to bone her boss, but being the third wheel to the world’s messiest gay romance? Now THAT has potential

[@andromeda138]

"the la croix of a plot" brilliant

[@alterVgo]

I picked this up at the library recently because the description sounded like a worse (i.e. less critical thinking, more tropey romantasy) version of Hench, and I was curious how that would work. I'm not on TikTok so I hadn't realized there were skits, but I think you summed it up in the title: could've stayed as a 60-second skit. I feel better about DNFing it, if that's what they were building the whole story around. Also, "the La Croix of a plot" is such a descriptive and concise phrase, might find that sneaking into my review vocabulary!

[@h3llthing]

The wild thing about all of this is that I’m pretty sure these skits are knock offs of a MUCH funnier, better written series about being an assistant to a super villain by Daniel Fox

[@danaslitlist1]

Me and Marines 🤝 being bamboozled by Booktok books (Fourth Wing) 😂 literally my exact experience “Like YA but spicy! And aged up!” BEGGING, BEGGGING, BEGGING! Publishers to just accepted New Adult. Too many grown ass adults wanting to read YA and demanding “spice” (aka content meant to arouse which is fine if it doesn’t involve MINORS) and co-opting a space meant for teens so loudly and taking it over. But the barely legal age characters being vessels for grown ups (myself included, I’m 25 LOL) to enjoy sexual content is….a problem. Also; I totally thought those skits were suppose to be mocking the trope but apparently not if there’s a whole book about it😂😂

[@notstlouise]

i really don't understanf why the tiktoks have "morally gray" villain, even though it feels more like an old disney hyperbolic villains that are only doing evil for the sake of it..... a "morally gray" villain would need complex reasons to do things considered evil, not just "well, he is the villain" :-/

[@mynameismarines]

In the book, it tries to be like oh but there is a reason he’s doing “evil,” but then also it never explains or contends with why he’s also like murdering interns and how that is no longer morally gray or Disney villain but, you know, evil evil.

[@callieconover8356]

these are all excellent points and I am HERE for your red tower nemesis era... could it end in an enemies to lovers arc? we'll have to see haha. Great video!

[@mynameismarines]

idk but enemies to lovers is one of my least favorite tropes! 😂

[@chrishedlund5751]

YA but "aged up and spicy"? Red Tower? Mama that's a Red Flag

[@stephysteph8558]

I don't mind the tik toks. They're so much shorter and the suspension of disbelief is higher. They're not great, but I see why this is a funny idea for a sketch. But part of the humor comes from the main character being the butt of the joke for how oblivious and horny she is, and the fact that we never see the villain, so the implication is that he's doing all this bizarre stuff just off screen, and trying to imagine what's going on adds to the tension and the humor. But that does not make a book. We can't all be as charming and creative as Terry Pratchett.

[@yoshitheorbit1118]

4:28 Do y'all know that one SpongeBob reaction pic where Mr. Krabs stares at a chalkboard that says "Days without white nonsense: 0"? That's essentially my reaction to these videos of her

[@lexi8445]

I KNEW there was something going on with Fourth Wing's marketing. Thank you, this was very informative

[@chance757]

i’m very intentional about not skipping through the videos of my faves, you being one of them mari… but those tiktoks were a no. absolutely not. i was double tapping before i knew it, i’m so sorry 😭😭

[@mynameismarines]

listen I understand. I did put THREE of them in there…

[@QueenOfMoggies]

if ANY ‘working for the villain’ pitch was gonna work as a book it would be that blonde guy who did the ‘villain’s gay assistant’ skits imo bc those are actually funny, well-paced, have the assistant as unambiguously on the villain’s side and tonally consistent instead of having this naïve, sunshiney woman breezing through this immense torture lmao

[@rookstory3]

I didn't realize Red Tower was that shady but I literally just saw that the preorder of the Fourth Wing sequel has bonus chapters!? Like in addition to the sprayed edges and the fact that they made it an "untitled project" on Amazon to get people to feel extra need for it is sooooo ... gross for lack of a better word

[@IngaLangfeldt]

When you said "it reads like YA, it feels like YA, it has themes like YA" I so wanted you to break out into a Gaston-like song about YA. That is all. Thank you for reading this book so we don't have to :)

[@Beach652]

Im here for your watching this imprint and trying to make sense of it, thank you. For an interesting book that looks at the collateral damage caused to regular people by heroes and villains, I recommend Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - have you read that one? It's from the perspective of temp agency workers that heroes hire to run their operations - a pov I've not seen before.

[@supuchan]

Huh, I am again baffled by current book trends. I wasn't really interested in Assistant to the villain, but thanks for suffering through it! The TT skits looked...mildly amusing as an idea to me, but I don't get the whole "and he's hot" thing. I think I would be more interested in a sort of jaded assistant who just works there, because what can you do, we all need to eat - but only as skits every now and then. As a book, it sounds way to exhausting

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

Imagine if the villain was the sunshine one, delighting in his work and the assistant was grumpy and jaded!

[@jussalilguy]

yeah on tiktok a similiar skit i've been following is the 'assistant to two serial killers' one where the assistant is kind of bad at her job at the start and the character development is that she gets better lol and the serial killers actually start to appreciate her even if she's kind of a klutz when it comes to covering up crimes. i don't follow it religiously but whenever it comes up on my fyp i have a good chuckle or two

[@GatekeeperGuardian-wv3cd]

As far as how PoC are treated in Fourth Wing there's also Rhiannon who is a very stock "black best friend". About the only thing I've seen that differentiates her from other stock black best friends is that Rhiannon is clearly the most intelligent character in the series but is never treated like it (Which I'm pretty sure isn't even that uncommon for the archetype she fits into)

[@arkkon2740]

When I listened to Fourth Wing I took Rhia as the stereotypical queer friend so thats kinda interesting. Maybe im mixing the characters up but Yarros makes no attempt at differentiating these people besides the main 3 and it sucks balls

[@user-jh7so5lc7q]

Wait it’s like a feudal fantasy type setting? I thought it was more like a supervillain/incredibles type thing

[@VariousAndSundryBee]

That laugh after you said the CEO was the editor really closed the case for me.

[@ilikecake3456]

First of all, you have the most delightful laugh on the internet!! Secondly, this video was great - I especially liked your thoughts re: "better to be dead than a survivor," and I like how you distinguish between the things that are not for you vs. objectively not good!! You're a really good, well rounded reviewer, and I'm really glad that you're on booktube. Lastly, if you're up for making a video with your thoughts/analysis on what the new adult genre is/what it could be, I would love to hear it!! Best wishes 💓

[@HellsPixie89]

I former cast mate (local theatre) has a tiktok series about being the mortal companion of death. I'm between wishing they had been the one turn their skits into a book and relieved that they didn't do it too 😂😂 Also, you're laugh is infectious that I can't help but smile myself. Thank you for the content!

[@WildeBookGarden]

There are SO many weird/icky things about the "YA but make it spicy", why are grown adults still doing that 😭 AND WHY IS THAT CONSIDERED A LEGITIMATE PUBLISHING STRATEGY. People are literally making money off this ick 😭😭 this kind of tonal dissonance you describe so well here is one of my LEAST favorite things, I hate it so much!! Either have a consistent tone, or use contrasting tones in a way that is effective and meaningful - don't try to tell me we're just here for a silly fun time and then throw a ton of awful sh*t into the story that you just ignore!! random, but idk if you ever saw that animated movie Megamind but from what I remember it did this vibe SO much better. The FMC wasn't the villain's assistant but she does eventually end up working with him - and I think his character arc/our understanding of the character was handled well AND the movie was also kind of ahead of its time in the way it showed how creepy and scary the whole unrequited love/incel thing can be (who is not the MMC just to be clear)

[@heysara910]

THAT LAUGH at the end, I cannot. 🤣 I’m cackling with you, what is happening?! It’s like this is a weird vanity project for the CEO.

[@moni6013]

i remember blocking the author bc i cringed every time she popped up on my fyp

[@mynameismarines]

Protect your peace 😌

[@s.y.k.a1912]

Happened to me with Alex Aster😂 Her whole "I've been rejected 472847286372 times" whilst already published two books before... she ain't lying to no one lmao

[@croses511]

i've heard some loose inside publishing gossip (i can't verify it atm but i believe it!!) that yarros was hired to write fourth wing like an IP project, which makes me think red tower is more of a book packager than they're letting on? having everything personally edited by the ceo would make more sense in this case too -- nothing at all against book packaging or ip work! but i think that context makes this whole thing make a lot more sense

[@heysara910]

Red Tower is a meme wearing a publishing house trenchcoat.

[@leightoningstrike6971]

Red Tower is giving me Zando project vibes. Zando's mission statement might as well be 'we publish podcasters half-baked books". Although Red Tower's CEO being the editor is beyond half-baked thats raw cookie dough gives you salmonella levels of undercooked

[@annamichelle59]

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (pub Sept of 2020!) is the only thing I can think of whenever this book comes up. I loved Hench so much

[@ashleylyon84]

I bought the book to support the author. I enjoyed her tik toks as they provided me with entertainment throughout lock downs. I enjoyed the book enough but I definitely won’t be continuing.

[@ariverdreaming]

It definitely seems like this new publishing press is trying to create the most marketable and “viral” books as quickly as possible without checking the quality inside the cover. Their growing reputation will start to jam that short term strategy real soon I bet…

[@scroogemcduckrich9705]

Yes!! Glad to see you Marines!

[@kayri687]

whenever u post a video it makes my day!!!

[@arp711]

Good sweet Lord, this has a 4.03 on Goodreads with almost 21,000 ratings. We are really living in the worst timeline.

[@kimilynP]

I'm almost completely convinced that Red Tower is doing something (probably multiple somethings) to inflate their ratings and drive hype. With this and Forth Wing it definitely feels inorganic to me.

[@lulucool45]

WHO is reading this 🥴

[@lilysmuck5637]

Red Tower is known for review bombing their new releases with fake 5 stars before they come out🥴

[@mynameismarines]

I have screen shots of reviews under Assistant to the villain that look like not reviews… and even knowing that, that rating is too too high.

[@arp711]

@@mynameismarines Doesn't surprise me in the least. UGH.

[@slumbersdesire]

YES, SLICE-OF-LIFE! That was exactly what I was thinking! This book sounds like it'd be a great short webcomic? I imagine it as a comedic / slice-of-life / office lady kind of story. A lot of the comments here seem pretty negative about the book? Never heard of it, the book or the series, and I don't intend on reading them, but I do read a lot of Korean/Japanese/Chinese manga/webcomics and this premise would fit right in. Since the LI has zero personality, having gorgeous artwork would be a good fit! Honestly, I would probably read it. Also the part about the CEO being the editor... I can only say: run away, Marines.

[@Deiicide]

I have been interested in both books, but my library has both! So will be renting both of them so will be able to tell if I like them. Thankfully since they are popular, at least they will have them and if I don't, I'm not out any money. Great Critiques

[@mynameismarines]

Thank you! Hope you have better luck with them than I did 😭

[@spiderlegspinch9001]

This concept of a romance between the protagonist and a villainous man was essentially done, a long time ago, with Jane Eyer, and way better.

[@amychurch]

Can’t wait for you to finish Star Bringer 😂

[@mynameismarines]

Will she ever? Send help.

[@ramalam98]

I am simply gobsmacked

[@monster-enthusiast]

5:28 "there was not an ounce of fat on that man's body" I know she was trying to say that he's jacked but this is an awful sentence that conjures terrible imagery. It also feels wildly insulting to fat people (and not fat people tbh.)

[@Marie45610]

"La Croix of a plot" What a great way to describe a book. I haven't read this, even though the concept sounds like it could be good if written by a better author. Shame it ended up being bad. I think this concept would work better without a romance.

[@bicho6313]

I always side eye things that call themselves fluffy and fun but have SA. How is that light hearted and fun? Pick a lane.

[@whiteraven562]

same with having lots of death. Like, how is torture fun and fluffy?

[@ai20484]

YAY! Another post!! I hope you have a great day.

[@sophhnavarro]

I'm glad you're looking into this, definitely shading publishing for subpar books...

[@TheAquamarine4]

I can’t get over how my initial thought when you described the premise was “oh so if the assistant doesn’t kill the villain to get their job then what’s the point” and from the cover i already knew that wasn’t going to happen because it’s such a comedy with light blackish purple and cartoon images so obviously it’s not going to take itself seriously at all:( so i mean i could probably write something more fun

[@kaitrates]

Mari it hurts too much to laugh but i can’t not when you do. NGL i wish i hadn’t bought this.

[@thgritic102]

I got this book bc of the skits on TT & thinking it would turn out like the manga Satan's Secretary. Giving it 2.5/3 stars bc my expectations for it didnt match what i was feeling when reading. Here's what SS was about. The FMC is more of a kuudere (cool yet loving) instead of a deredere (lovey dovey), but she has a personality of soneone who wants to reach the goal as quick as possible (corporate slave). Her boss, the Demon King, hired her to help rule the world, and comedy ensues bc he didn't expect her to work for him willingly (he basically kidnapped her but she didn't care as long as she's getting paid). Their contrasting personalities work well bc DK is serious but out of date w/ what's happenign in the world while she's serious and miss his terrifying words as opportunity goals (example, he & his demon team wants more "recruits" & she agreed to it but said she would have to be on maternity leave often, so she denied it as she cares for work more. DK was still stuck on her even agreeing in the first place 😂). So i was expecting this book to be almost like that where the humor relies on the villain being confused on how willful the sunshine is. Have sunshine woman be the villains fan & thats why she somehow found the villain & want to work for him. Have the villain be confused w/ how big his kill style is that he gained some nicknames that bugs him bc he takes his work seriously while True Crime people romanticize him. Have the second female character be the rational/straightman in this chaotic dynamic as she only cares for momey, so she facepalm & get upset when she can see the budding romance in front of her while VxS are love starved & dont know what to do. Have sunshine be a serial killer who's like The Praying Mantis where she kills men who are attracted by her "sweet & innocent" look instead of treating her like a human being, and she decapitates them. She found camaraderie w/ her new squad, but the villain is trying to figure out who she is bc she's being hunted down. 2nd fem knows FMC is the Praying Mantis, but stays quiet cause she finds MMC finding out to be hilarious. Have other villains look for her bc she has such a high bounty on her, so the villain protects her wondering why they're after her. Sunshine didnt go after billain bc he's the few men who treats her like a human being than a possession. The mystery revolves around each character. There's so much to do w/ these tropes & cliches, yet authors are barely even scratching the surface of it 🤦🏿‍♀️

[@crystalsbookishlife]

I had to fast forward through the tiktoks 😬

[@mynameismarines]

You aren’t alone 😂

[@reaganh1038]

Would definitely love to see your take on the novel Hench

[@lekha2578]

@ 17:23 does Marines say “the absolute la croix of a plot”? I’ve never heard the term “la croix” used. Am I spelling it right?

[@mynameismarines]

Lol, yes!! LaCroix like the drink, which is known for only having the barest hint of flavor.

[@lekha2578]

@@mynameismarines omg lol that’s so good

[@lulucool45]

nice! you got the spelling right in one without knowing the word

[@lekha2578]

@@lulucool45 I knew of la croix the drink, I just didn’t put two and two together haha

[@Tamya999]

I can’t lie I had to fast forward through the TikToks because I was physically cringing

[@mynameismarines]

That’s what I’m saying!! The humor was so hot for me that I was cringing through the whole book.

[@sao-me1lt]

I haven't seen you laugh this much in a video, it gave me life. Esp the one after you mentioned the *CEO* was editing 💀Great vid & I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on publishing trends

[@hbookreviews]

I queried Red Tower for my debut book and was heart broken when they rejected it. 😢 But now I'm thinking it was prob for the best

[@amg304]

I appreciate you taking the hit and reading these books so we don't have to. Thanks.😊

[@devlyn873]

OMG agreed.

[@autumnmei]

“The Morally Grey Fantasy Villain’s Personal Assistant” So…basically what Isaac and Hector were in Castlevania?

[@LilyEvans1996]

The thing with Becky is she is actually cool. She really cares about her job. And I love that she doesn’t have to be “nice”. But she’s probably the coolest character.

[@W.Rain.]

This could have been a book of short stories.

[@hinaichigo5701]

This could've been fun if the villain was more on the lines of megamind. Imposible tho, megamind is not a villain.. is a supervillain 😂

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

Why am I hearing so much about this one and fourth wing but I’ve never heard of starbringer? Was the marketing different for that one?

[@Thatdumbgremlin]

You would HATE Starbringer. I managed to finish that beast and it was the first book I wanted to chuck at my wall.

[@tthepageturner]

Love your reviews and commentary! I have no interest in reading the book, but this was fun to watch 😂

[@Samthewise92]

Red tower books is the morphe of the book world and I will not elaborate. 😂 you should just know it’s bad and run.

[@heysara910]

Morphe MAKEUP?! God, that tracks.

[@Samthewise92]

@@heysara910 yes so much yes

[@kazm2978]

Those skits were so bad 😭😭 Also, Starbringer is so hard to get through…I was mostly curious about it due to its marketing (I knew it was probably going to be bad based on it, because I’ve read the crave series) but wow it was so much more boring than I ever thought it would be.

[@kir-is-here]

15:13 “a block of wood” lolol a book podcast called Unresolved Textual Tension calls this type of flat love interest a “sad piece of toast” 😂

[@solfell_]

this book seems like another project that's created more by algorithm than it is by a passionate creator who has an earnest story with nuance and interesting characters. it's more trope than story, which is extremely frustrating, because i feel like more and more books/movies/etc are taking queues from what gets the most attention, rather than what's actually good and meaningful art. ofc not all media needs to be meaningful or good, but it feels like the schlock is getting more than its fair share of the attention purely due to how profitable it is.

[@Bookish.Ellyse]

I saved this video until I could read the book myself. I never saw the TikToks which is probably a good thing or I would not have enjoyed the book based on what I saw in this video 😂 I personally had fun reading this because it was very cheesy. I don’t think it’s a great book by any means but it was fun. I do think the fancy sprayed edges and special editions have gotten out of hand so fast! I’m worried we will start seeing a lot more books that are just pushed out for sales because people do want the pretty books. I’m tired of buying one version just for another cool one to pop up 😭 Anywho really enjoyed your take!

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

The longer I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Red Tower might turn out to be the Six Flags of the publishing world. And of course I meant like the early 2000s Six Flags, making all those huge purchases and ending up filing for bankruptcy and becoming the budget chain… (in other words, before the merging with its competitor, Cedar Fair)

[@alzaronwayne5255]

Yea after reading Assistant to the Villain and watching your review on both this and Fourth Wing, i think i can safely say im done with Red Tower books

[@BreeKaitlyn]

Honestly, I may be the odd one out in the comment section, but I did enjoy this book. I also think since I read it during a reading slump and didn't want to do too much thinking, this was a good book to read. I think the book had a lot of potential - sunshinexgrumpy trope (which I am such a sucker for LOL), the villain's family, the betrayal of Evie's father, and even the worldbuilding - but I feel like the author missed out on that and hopefully clears it up in the second book. The most thing I hated about this book was Evie LOL. I couldn't stand her as a protagonist. I also thought the writing was too simple, but since I read this during a time I didn't want to do much thinking, I actually enjoyed the simplicity of it. I'm an English major and sometimes I don't want to sit and analyze and figure out what the author is trying to say all the time LOL. I appreciate your review and it got me to think about a few aspects I didn't think would be an issue. Especially with the part about Becky - I did find it odd and horrible she was the only darker skinned character in the story made out to be the antagonist; I didn't realize it when I was reading it and went back to look. Thanks for another great video, Marine!

[@camillagilmore1547]

Your description of this book weirdly puts me in mind of the film Igor, with its sympathy for the villain theme and anachronistic use of language and setting, but Igor is a thoroughly good film with John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard and more. So I guess I'm recommending Igor to anyone disappointed by this book?

[@Nebby1418]

Damn so it really was a blessing that i couldnt find the book in barnes and noble XD

[@desireemclaughlin1455]

The reveal that the ‘editor’ of both of these books is the CEO?!?! I was not expecting that twist. I just went and looked up the authors of Star Bringer to see what else they’ve written, and one of them has a book called Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire. Sooooo…good luck! 😅

[@AbiofPellinor]

The LaCroix of a plot 💀💀💀

[@nootnewt9323]

Meh I think NA could have potential if these characters went through what people in their 20s go through, like your first full time job, actually being independent, what it means to be an adult. But usually NA just means YA romance but with smut. And I guess I’m just… not into YA romance anymore as someone in their late 20s? It’s just a bit too young for me. If I read a romance I want complex characters and actual bumps in the road.

[@Binkabrit]

I liked this book but I wonder if that’s because I was listening to it while doing other things… much like Fourth Wing…. Though i don’t use tiktok so I never saw those skits and iv I had I would never have bought this book

[@mynameismarines]

I feel like not paying attention to most of it is the way to go! 😂 But no really, I’m happy it worked better for you!

[@emilykaulius2883]

my conspiracy theory about the fourth wing books release schedule is that the awful colloquial English the book uses is going to make it age like milk so they have to churn these out before even it’s fans find it cringey

[@maud375]

I guess that's why some women write to murderers in prison !

[@legacy4626]

I haven't read the book, only seen a few review videos on it, but from the way its described I think it might've worked better as a "fantasy workplace black comedy" where the assistant is also morally bankrupt and completely head-over-heels for the big bad evil villain, who 1) actually does evil things on-page and in-focus, and 2) was like, an old decrepit undead necromancer or even a demilich-style floating skull, things where it makes functionally no sense why the assistant would find him so hot or even slightly sympathetic and that's the joke I like commentary and satire on popular tropes and trends in books on occasion, but this sounds less like an examination of why people are drawn to antagonists even if they are meant to be reprehensible (and sometimes even parallel/represent actual evils in the world) and more like the author acting "in on the joke" of recent fantasy NA/adult trends without really adding anything to the conversation. It's the same feeling I got while reading fourth wing before I DNF'd, so I guess this might just be what this publisher is already looking for and trying to build a brand around

[@MeMyshelfAndI]

Everything was so shallow and simple and tropey and simple and did I mention how simple it was? I thought the prologue was pretty fun, but everything else felt like literally a middle-grade. I couldn't even consider it YA (putting in perspective with other MG & YA that I've read) Similar setup (apart from the romance) but YA and wayyyyyyy more aged up AND with social commentary-- I'd recommend Nimona. Skip Assistant to the Villain entirely.

[@bookishcreature8907]

Those TikToks are so…… tumblr. The type of posts I would like when I was 12 and really impressed with myself because I read books unlike other girls. God, I’m having horrible flashbacks now 😅 I studied book publishing at university and this project reminds me of the kind of research article I would write, analyzing the titles of a imprint that has a veryyy particular audience and what that says about our ~ society ~and the reasons people consume the types of stories they do. Good times. Anyway, looking forward to the future videos! Also, you look really pretty in this one 😊

[@exomake_mehorololo]

So why do people read these and what does it say about society 😅 I need answers I'm concerned